The DIY Car Lift for the Practical Mechanic’s Garage

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Talk about ingenuity. It is always impressive when people pull off a DIY project that changes their world. This customized car lift not only elevates vehicles; it also overcomes some of the limitation of a hydraulic system

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The Geometry of Creation

There is inspiration in creating a tool that not only benefits you, but benefits others. That is one of the positives of this DIY car lift. It has the potential to help other people. You might think that welding steel bars together is no big deal, but this is more than just welding. It is also functional geometry. The form of this car lift works on a weight and balance system. It uses the weight of the car as a tool. That fact makes this project something much more than just welding. It is also designed using angles that work with the lower front end height of cars. Because the lift tilts, the angle of the car changes based on its surroundings, but the car remains on the same plane. Ingenious!

Benefits of This DIY Car Lift

Ergonomics: Improves Ergonomic working conditions for the mechanic.

Portability: Portability is a massive benefit. You can load it onto a trailer and moved it to a remote location. You can move it around the garage. That is one of the downfalls of a commercial system. Once installed it become difficult to use that space for other projects.

Potential Cost Savings: It seems like it would be much cheaper to make than it would be to buy a hydraulic system. The lower cost puts this product in reach of more mechanics.

Improved Safety: It becomes safer than using jacks to gain access to the underside of the vehicle.

Improved Performance: The DIY Car Lift allows mechanics to work with other lifting tools. It works well with transmission lifts.

While the lift is impressive and it has a long list of benefits there is what appears to be an Achilles Heal. A lot of weight enforced force hits the pivot hinge when the car causes the lift to tilt backwards. That appears to be a weak spot in this design. The question is whether that is a weak spot and if so, how difficult would it be to replace or repair that joint. Viewer, feel free to add your two cents in on these questions.